I Dream of Bookcases

I’ve always had a special relationship with books, for at least as long as I can remember. My very first books, The Poky Little Puppy and a set of children’s encyclopedias were treasured as no other toys were. Through the years, I also dreamed of having my own built-in bookcases. Through the years, I have had many substitutes for these imagined bookcases. First there was the headboard on my twin bed at home which held library books and a row of paperbacks I got for free through the library’s Reading is Fundamental program. Later, in college, there were a series … Continue reading

Home Blog Month in Review: August

Did you have a good month? We seem to have packed an entire summer’s worth of activities in this past month. Now, it seems, it is back to school and time to get ready for autumn. Still, it is nice to look back toward warm sands and wearing shorts even as we will soon be crunching leaves and taking out the sweaters. August 1st Getting Out Grass Stains With summer in full swing, chances are that your family has been playing outdoors quite a bit. And with all of that outdoor play comes the grass stains, especially if you are … Continue reading

Great Deal at Borders Bookstores!

I am just so excited about this deal that I couldn’t wait to get back to my computer to share it with you! I should be doing a million other things right now, but I had to write and tell you before the best books are gone. Yesterday, we visited the mall to pick up a present for my youngest son. It was a quick trip, since we had some birthday celebrating to do. Fortunately for me, I passed by the Borders Bookstore. it was actually a Borders Express, but the manager assured me that this great deal was available … Continue reading

Buying Books from the Library

Did you know that most libraries sell books for a real bargain? Some even give books away for free. I did well adding to my book collection, yesterday with my trip to the local library. Okay, I know, I know. I just wrote about using Paper Back Swap versus checking out books from the library. As I mentioned in that article, there is a lot to be said for using Paper Back Swap as my main supply source for feeding my reading habit. But, with yesterday’s trip to the local library, I think I may have the best of both … Continue reading

Recycling Craft: Make A Book Safe

Here is a great craft made out of a recyclable resource, an old book. A book safe is a perfect place to put all of the money you have been saving by living a frugal lifestyle. I like the idea of book safe because not only is it a good place to hide your money (the book will blend well with others on your shelf), but there is something very old world about having a book safe. It is mysteriously appealing. Not only can you hide your money in it, but you can also use your book safe for jewelry, … Continue reading

How to Clean Your Keyboard

The home office is usually one of the places in your home that can get neglected when it comes to cleaning. Here are some tips on how to get it clean without too much effort. In your home it can get pretty obvious to everyone when the bathroom isn’t clean or when there are dishes piled up in the kitchen sink, but the home office is another story. Usually tucked away, we tend not to notice the dust piling up, or we don’t want to disturb the mountain of papers that are piled up. But we don’t have to live … Continue reading

Home Week in Review: July 28th Through August 3rd

What makes a house a home? Is it the little decorating touches, the noises of little feet stomping down the stairs in the morning or the feeling that when you enter your home you’ve left the world behind? However you define your home, you’ll find lots of ways in the Home Blog to personalize it and keep it cozy and safe. Here is a review of last week’s articles. July 28th When Remodeling, Consider the Neighbors If you are planning a remodeling project, it is important to consider the neighbors. No, not because they might complain but because their home … Continue reading

Welcome to De-Cluttering Boot Camp

All across the world, people are hiding a dirty little secret, or at least a dusty little secret. There homes are filled with clutter. It happens to the best of us. It might start out innocently enough: some mail left on the kitchen counter, an extra group of toys overstuffed into a corner, a couple of outfits that get “stored” on the floor of the closet. But clutter is sneaky. it finds a way to get into your home and breed more clutter until you are either overwhelmed or learn to live with it. Our generation faces a war with … Continue reading

Home Office Tips

The home office can be one of the busiest and most clutter areas of the house. Paper just tends to collect and multiply. But just what do you file and what do you toss? Here are some quick tips to help you in your home office. Invest in a shredder for your home office. Shredding documents that contain personal information is a must to protect against identity theft. Many people just throw away credit card offers, but those offers can be as candy to a theft who wants to use your credit. Tax returns need to be kept forever. Any … Continue reading

Organizing the Family Room (5)

I am down to the last bit of my family room organization. The only thing left to do is the games. This isn’t going to be easy, since we have two shelves above and to the left of the fireplace that are packed with games. In addition, there are more games downstairs in the basement. Most of the games haven’t been played in a long time. Is this because we don’t socialize as much and the kids are too small to play some of them with us? Or is it because the games themselves aren’t very organized? If you have … Continue reading